Folding hairbrush



United States Patent Ofihce 3,365,482 Patented Nov. 27, 1962 This invention relates to folding hairbrushes and in particular relates to the mounting of rotatable, elongated bristle tufts for folding movement between a raised operative position and a folded compact position within a case and to a latch for maintaining the bristle tufts in a raised position.

It is an object of the invention to provide a folding brush which utilizes long bristles and which is compact when folded.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a folding mechanism for rotatable bristle tufts in a case which is positive and efiicient in its action.

An embodiment of the brush of the invention is illustrated in the following drawings in which:

H6. 1 is a top plan view of the brush showing the bristles in upright position.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view through the brush of the invention along the line 22 of FIG. 1 showing the bristles in upright position.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the brush showing the bristles in a collapsed position.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view through the brush along the line 55 of FIG. 4 showing the bristles in a collapsed position.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view along line 6-6 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a schematic end elevational view of the brush in its case.

The brush illustrated in the drawings comprises a casing 22 in which are rotatably mounted a plurality of bristle support plates 10. Each support plate It} has a plurality of spaced semicylindrical protrusions 12 extending from one side thereof, and a tuft 14 of bristles is set into the top of each protrusion 12. The spaces between the protrusions form recesses 13, and the protrusions on each plate are off-set, or staggered, with respect to the protrusions on adjacent plates so that the protrusions on one plate are opposite the recesses on adjacent plates. Each end of each plate has integrally formed therewith a relatively long lower trunnion 20 which is journaled in a side of the casing and a shorter upper trunnion 18 which is journaled in a slide bar 40 to be described later.

The brush casing 22 is an open-topped box formed of a front wall 26, a rear wall 27 and a bottom wall 28 which are integral with each other. A pair of parallel side walls 24 are fastened to the sides of the integral front, rear and bottom walls. A lip 30 integral with each side wall 24 projects inwardly from the top of each side wall 24. A cover 23 (FIGURE 7) having side walls which are complementary to the outer surface of side walls 24 can be slid over the open top of casing 22 when the brush is not in use. The inner surface of each side wall 24 is provided near the bottom thereof with a row of holes 32 which receive lower trunnions 2t of support plates 10. The distance between holes 32 in each row is slightly greater than the distance between the upper and lower trunnions on each plate It Therefore, when plates 10 are in the folded position as shown in FIGURE 4, the top of one plate is closely adjacent but does not touch the bottom of the next plate.

Referring to FIGURE 3, it is seen that rear wall 27 is provided with a pair of vertical slots 34 passing therethrough in a direction parallel to the side walls. Each slot 34 is spaced from an end of the rear wall 27 so as not to be obstructed by lip 30 on side wall 24. A hole 36 passes longitudinally from one end of rear wall 27 to the other end and intercepts slots 34. A second pair of slots 38 extend upwardly from hole 36 to the upper surface of the wall. L.-shaped pins 56 to be hereinafter described are horizontally slidable in holes 36 and slots 38.

The bristle support plates 10 are actuated by a pair of parallel slide bars 41 each of which is an elongated relatively thin member having a front portion 48, a rear portion which is off-set downwardly from the front portion and an angled center portion 49 which joins the front and rear portions. Each slide bar 40 is spaced from the inner surface of a side wall 24 of the casing 22 and is movable along the inner edge of lip 34 in a plane parallel to the side wall 24. The rear portions 50 of the bars are passed through slots 34 in rear wall 27 of the casing and are rigidly joined to each other at their ends outside the casing by a cross-piece 52. The forward end of the front portion 43 of each bar has a downwardly projecting lip 46 which engages with the inner surface of front wall 26 of the casing when the bar is in a forward position. A row of spaced protrusions 42 project downwardly from the front portion 48 and the inner surface of each protrusion 42 is provided with a hole 44 in which an upper trunnion 18 of one of the plates 10 rides. Each rear portion also has a hole 54 therethrough which is in the same horizontal plane as holes 44 and which aligns with hole 36 in rear wall 27 of the casing when the bars 40 are in a forward position.

The latch mechanism for holding the bars in a forward position consists of pins 56 which are slidably retained in hole 36 in rear wall 27. Each pin 56 is L- shaped and one leg thereof extends through and is slidable horizontally in one of the slots 38. As seen in FIG- URES 3 and 6, when bars 46 are fully inserted into the casing 22, pins 56 can be extended to pass through slots 34 and holes 54 in rear portion 50 of bars 40. As seen in FIGURE 4, when pins 56 are retracted they are clear of slots 34. The top of each projecting leg of pin 56 is threaded and provided Wtih a nut which can be screwed down to hold the pin 56 in either an extended or retracted position.

The operation of the brush is readily apparent from the above description. Bristle support plates 10 are rotatable on lower trunnions 20 between the upright position of FIGURES l and 2 and the folded position of FIG- URES 2 and 4. Slide bars 46 when moved in or out of the casing by hand cause the plates 10 to pivot by the force exerted on upper trunnions 18. To place the bristles in position for brushing, crosspiece 52 is pressed forwardly with the hand so as to insert bars 40 fully into the casing thus causing bristle support plates 10 to rotate to a vertical position within the casing. In this position of the plates 10, lip 46 on the front end of slide bars 49 firmly abuts against front wall 26 of the casing and prevents further movement of the slide bars into the casing. The slide bars may then be latched against movement out of the casing by extending the pins 56 through the holes 54 in the slide bars and tightening the nuts 6%. As seen in FIGURES 2 and 6 the top of the front portion 48 of the slide bars is then flush with the top of the casing and the cross-piece 52 lightly engages the front wall 26 of the casing. To fold the brush, the slide bars 43 are pulled rearwardly until the plates It} have rotated to the position of FIGURES 4 and 5. During this movement the bars 40 also move downwardly in the slots 34 toward the bottom wall 23 of the casing. When the protrusions 42 on the bars 40 engage the bottom wall 28, the plates id have reached their folded position and the bristle tufts of each 3 plate 10 rest in the recesses 13 of the adjacent plate 1% as seen in FIGURES 4 and 5. As seen schematically in FIGURE 7, the cover 23 can now be slipped over the open top of the casing to protect the inner parts from dirt and injury.

The hairbrush as described above is compact and positive acting. The provision of staggered bristle tufts permits the use of long bristles in a compact brush because in the folded position the bristle tufts fit into the recesses 13 between'the bristle tufts of an adjacent support plate. The rotation of the bristle support plates between erect and collapsed position is positively controlled by two rigid slide bars each of which engage each plate and each of which is firmly held in the forward position by abutment with the casing at one end, by a latch at the other end, and along its outer side by the lip The abutment with the casing also accurately determines the extend to which the bars move into the casing and thereby accurately positions the bristle support plates in their upright position. The trunnions may be formed in tegrally with the support plates thus precluding the additional assembly steps of inserting four pins in each support plate. The casing may be assembled from two side walls and an integrally formed front, bot-tom and rear wall.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiment described above and that minor modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.

Whta is claimed is:

1. A folding brush comprising: an open-top case having a front wall, a bottom wall, two generally parallel side walls and a rear wall; said rear wall having first and second vertical slots therethrough, a longitudinal hole extending inwardly from each end of said rear wall through a diiferent one of said first and second slots, and third and fourth vertical slots extending upwardly from the inner portion of said longitudinal holes to the top of said rear wall; an elongated slidable member adjacent the upper inner surface of each side wall, the rear end of each member projecting through a diiferent one of said first and second slots and the front end of each member abutting the inner surface of said front wall; means joining the rear ends of said members outside said rear wall; an L-shaped member having one leg slidable in each of said longitudinal holes and the other leg projecting upwardly through the slot which connects the hole with the top of said rear wall; means engaging the upwardly projecting legs and adapted to fasten said L-shaped members against sliding movement in said longitudinal holes; a plurality of elongated rotatable bristle support means parallel to said front and rear walls and positioned between said slidable members; spaced bristle holding protrusions on each of said support means, the protrusions on each of said support means being offset from the protrusions on adjacent plates; a tuft of bristles projecting from each protrusion; upper and lower trunnion means extending horizontally from the end of each support means said upper trunnion means being journaled in holes in said slidable members and said lower trunnions being journaled in holes in the inner surfaces of said side walls whereby when said slidable members are fully inserted into said casing said bristle support means are rotated to a position in which the bristles project upwardly and whereby when said slidable members are withdrawn from said casing said bristle support means are rotated to a position in which the bristles are collapsed into the casing and into the spaces between the bristle holding protrusions on an adjacent support means; each of said slidable members being provided with a hole which registers with the longitudinal hole in said rear wall of the casing when said bars are fully inserted into said casing whereby one leg of each of said L-shaped members may he slid through said hole in said slidable member.

2. A folding brush comprising: an open-topped case having a front wall, a bottom wall, two parallel side walls and a rear wall; a plurality of parallel, elongated bristle support plates within said case and normal to said side walls, each said plate having (1) a plurality of parallel spaced bristle tufts extending therefrom in a common plane, (2) recesses between said bristle tufts, the bristle tufts on one support plate being staggered with respect to the bristle tufts on adjacent support plates, (3) an upper trunnion and a lower trunnion extending from each end thereof; means fixed with respect to said side walls for journalling said lower trunnions whereby said support plates are rotatable toward and away from said front and rear walls; a pair of spaced elongated bars parallel to said side wall and slidable within said case toward and away from said front and rear walls, said bars firmly abutting said front wall in one position and having spaced holes therein retaining said upper trunnions, said holes being so located that when said bars are in said one position said bristle tufts extend normal to said bottom wall; slidable operating means associated with the rear ends of said bars and extending exteriorly of said case for manually sliding said bars toward and away from said front and rear walls, said operating means having a latch receiving cavity therein; and a latch member slidably retained within a cavity in said case and movable into said latch receiving cavity when said operating means has placed said bars in said one position.

3. A folding hairbrush as in claim 2 wherein said bars extend through said rear wall and wherein said latch member comprises a pin within said rear wall and movable into a cavity in one of said bars.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,525,209 Davis Oct. 10, 

